One Dead, Two Injured After US Navy Hawkeye Crashes Near Virginia’s Eastern Shore

A public affairs officer with Naval Force Atlantic confirmed that a US Navy E-2D Hawkeye was conducting a routine exercise when it went down just north of Virginia’s Chincoteague Island around 7:30 p.m., local time, on Wednesday.

At least one crew member has died and another two have been injured in a Wednesday night plane crash in the vicinity of the eastern shore’s Wallops Island and Chincoteague, the US Navy Naval Air Force Atlantic confirmed in a March 30 memo.

Per the release, Maryland State Police rescued two crew members from the all-weather, carrier-capable aircraft’s crash site and transferred the duo to Wallops Island for medical treatment. Both individuals are said to have non-life threatening injuries, and were later sent to Tidal Health Hospital in Salisbury, Maryland.

The names were not published by the service due to privacy concerns.

Authorities, including the Worcester County Fire Department, located a third crew member in the aircraft who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Accomack County Department of Public Safety, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Stockton Fire Company, Wallops Fire Department, the Atlantic Volunteer Fire and the New Church Fire Department, and Coast Guard personnel all responded to the scene.

Emergency responders were assisted by dive teams based in Maryland’s Ocean City and Salisbury.

In a photo provided by the Ocean City Fire Department, emergency workers take part in a rescue operation after a U.S. Navy E2-D Hawkeye aircraft crashed in waters near the Eastern Shore boundary of Virginia and Maryland, near Stockton, Md., Wednesday, March 30, 2022, killing one person, authorities said. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two other people.

© AP Photo / Ocean City FD/Ryan Whittington

Lt. Cmdr. Rob Myers, a public affairs officer for the service, detailed that the $80 million, 58-foot aircraft assigned to an East Coast Airborne Command and Control Squadron took off from Naval Station Norfolk and was en route to Wallops Island when it went down. The aircraft was partially submerged upon authorities’ arrival.

A probe has been launched regarding the situation. No individuals on the ground were injured.

“This serves as a reminder that our great servicemen and women risk their lives every day to serve our country,” said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), adding that he and his wife were personally devastated by the crash.

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) offered that she would continue monitoring the situation, as it occurred in the district she represents.

“I’m continuing to monitor the Navy plane crash in Accomack County,” the congresswoman offered in a same-day statement. “I’m keeping our naval aviators, their families, and our first responders in my thoughts and prayers tonight as rescue and recovery efforts continue.”

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